Spring-hinge construction



P. T. SIMMONS AND R. l. RHODES.

SPRING HINGE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED MAR.3,1920.

' Patented May 23, 19226 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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. P. T. SIMMONS AND R. l. RHODES. I

SPRING HINGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION mm MAR- 21, 1920.

1A1fi95m Pmenwdl May 23, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PARKER T. SIMMONS AND RUSSELL I.

ITODES, 015 NORTH ATTLEBORO, SETTS.

MASSACHU- SPRTllTG HTNGYJ CONSTRUUTION.

{specification of Letters Patent.

ll atented llllay 23?, 19232.

Application filed March 3, 1920. Serial No. 362,893.

United States, residing at North Attleboro,

in the county of Bristol and State oi l /lassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Hinge Constructions, 01" which the following is a specification.

The invention has for an object to effect an improvement in spring hinges, and particularly in the manufacture of a spring device for box hinges operative to yieldably hold a box lid in open or closed position, and to move the lid to closed or maximum open position when the lid is located upon respective sides of a predetermined medial position.

It is particularly an aim to provide a spring device adapted readily to be stamped in one operation, from sheet metal without requiring further machine operations for its assembly.

Additional objects are held in view, and invention and advantages reside in the structure and arrangement of the parts as will be hereinafter readily understood. In our drawings,

l igure 1 is a perspective view of a jewel box equipped with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the box in open position,

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the box in closed position,

Fig. 4; is a perspective view of one of the spring plates,

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the other plate,

Fig. 6 is a plan view ot the blank for the last mentioned plate,

Fig. 7 is a plan 01 the blank for the first mentioned plate. I

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modification of the device,

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 3., ol? the modification,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view t' a jewel box equipped with the n'iodification in open position.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of a blank for the modification, I A

Fig. 12 is an enlarged edge view ot the spring plates in the form hrst described. I

There is illustrated a jewel box 10 or a tamiliar kind, such as is ordinarily termed of paste-board, although my invention is also adapted to use upon boxes formed ofvarious other materials, as well as in other situations. The box is provided with a lid 11,, hipged to the body of the hon by means 0' a inge 12 ot a familiar term recently developed especially tor use with springs of th s general tunction.

Engaged with the hinge 12 there is a spring clamping device 14, consisting of two plates 15 and 16, formed ot' a suitable resilient sheet material. Each plate consists of two leaf portions set at an angle of about 120 degrees to each other. Tn the plate 15 the leaf portion 17 at one end is formed with an outer hook bill portion 18, disposed atan angle of 90 degrees to the body of the leaf while the opposite leaf portion 19 of this plate is perfectly flat and is provided with a small wing 20, at each side, atthe base of the leaf. The lateral edges of the leaves are parallel, the edges of one leat being alined with those of the other, and their extremities are rectangular. The plate 16 is termed with a leaf 21 having a hook bill termination 22 similar to the portion '18 before described, and the plate is provided with an oppositely ext-ending leaf 23 of a plain form. This lea'l? however, is provided with a symmetrical lateral enlargemen 1 2 1 in which there is formed a transverse slot 25 adapted to receive the leaf 17 slidably therethrough, this slot being formed entirely in the leaf 23 of the plate. The leat 17 is inserted in the slot 95 from the outen side of the plate 16, until the wings 20 engage against the back of the leaf 23 ot' the plate 16. The bills 522 and 18 are then sprung over the outer edges of the hinge 12, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the parts when in this position being under ten sion by which the leaves 17 and 21 bear to ward each other so as to maintain pressure upon the hinge at all times. in Fig. 2, the box is shown open beyond its normal opening limit in which case the plain leaves of the plates move outwardly slightly lrom the leaves bearing the bill portions 18 and But normally the box is :tori'ned so that opening movement is checked before this position can be reached, so that the spring plates will be maintained under tension at all times, although opening of the lid may be checked at the position where the parts are relieved of tension, but before the spring device becomes loosened from the hinge.

In the opening of the box, it will be appreciated that the outer edges of the hinge 12 move upon arcs, which action will spring the plates outward slightly, and as soon as the hinge edges have moved beyond dead center, the pressure of the spring plates upon the hinge will cause it to move rapidly to full open position. Under closing movement of the lid the same function is performed, causing the box lid to snap into closed position as soon as the hinge parts have moved beyond dead center in this direction.

It is practicable to form one of the plain leaves of the plate with a card supporting clip 26, as shown in Figures 8 to 11, inclusive, where the wing 19 of a plate 15 corresponding to the one 15 before described is extended in the same plane with the opposite wing of the plate, and has its central outer part stamped to form a tongue 27 offset from and parallel to the lateral edge portions of the plate so that a card may be inserted therein, for display when the box is open. The action of the device is such that a card may be permitted to remain in the clip when the box is closed, as the device will move to incline the card forwardly in the box so that it will not be bent excessively, but will lie closely adjacent the top of the lid, and when the box is opened it will be moved into an erect position most convenient for reading from a position from in :tront ot the box.

In this last construction the device will function resiliently for the maintenance of the box in closed or open position in the same manner as in the construction first described the only ditterence being that the spring action will be exerted by but one of the plates, which will be amply sufiicient ordinarily and require no reinforcement or enlargement on that account.

lVhat is claimed:

1. In a spring hinge, interlocking plates each having wing portions disposed at an angle to each other, one wing of each plate having means to engage the hinge tor compression thereof, the plates oeing arranged and constructed whereby one wing on each will bear against the other plate to resist opening movement.

2. In a spring hinge, a hinge actuating device comprising pivotally interlocked resilient plates having integral parts posi tioned to mutually co-engage and resiliently oppose pivotal movement of the plates relatively in one direction from normal relation, said plates having respective hinge controh ling leaves constructed and positioned to coengage with respective elements oi a hinge, whereby to oppose action of a hinge within certain limits.

8. In a spring hinge, pivotally interlocked plates coengaged to resiliently oppose movement of the plate relatively in one direction, one of said plates having a clip extension constructed and arranged to lie away lrom the device, the plates having outer parts constructed to receive respective leaves of a hinge therein.

4. A spring device for hinged members comprising a plate having a central transverse enlargement and a transverse slot therein, a second plate inserted partly through the slot, said plates being bent ad jacent the slot to form wings extending at an angle to each other, the wings oi the two plates at the inner sides of the angle being formed in their extremities to engage rt sgective hingedly connected members.

In testimony whereof we have aiiixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

PARKER T. SIMMONS. RUSSELL l. RHODES. Vitnesses ELsIn B. RIGHT, MILDRED DUNBAR. 

